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| 1474 Map of Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
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Posted on 01.03.2015, 18.05.2015, 18.12.2016
Great Smoky Mountains National Park straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a division of the Appalachian Mountains. The border between Tennessee and North Carolina runs through the centerline of the park. Before the arrival of European settlers, the region was part of the homeland of the Cherokees. President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, beginning the forced removal of all Indian tribes east of the Mississippi River. Many of the Cherokee left, but some hid out in the area that is now the park. Some of their descendants now live in the Qualla Boundary.
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| 1592 Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
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The park is a major refuge of temperate zone flora and fauna that survived the Pleistocene glaciations. The park includes the largest remnant of the diverse Arcto-Tertiary geoflora era left in the world, and provides an indication of the appearance of late Pleistocene flora. It is large enough to allow the continuing biological evolution of this system, and its biological diversity exceeds that of other temperate-zone protected areas. The park is of exceptional beauty with virgin forest including the largest block of virgin red spruce remaining on earth.
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| 2907 John Oliver Cabin in Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
It is home to more than 3,500 plant species, including almost as many trees (130 natural species) as in all of Europe. Many endangered animal species are also found there, including what is probably the greatest variety of salamanders in the world. The park contains evidence of four pre-Columbian Indian cultures: Mississippian, Woodland, Archaic and palaeo-Indian. The early Woodland culture period is of special archaeological importance because it shows the first evidence of organized horticulture in North America. More than 150 archaeological sites have been identified within the park.
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